Apparatus for suspending wet footwear

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for suspending wet footwear from a support, such as a clothesline, curtain rod, wall peg, or other projection including a flexible loop which may be formed of a plastic material, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon, or it may be formed of wire. If the loop is formed of a plastic material, a plurality of spaced straps or hangers are formed with their inner ends integral with the loop and each is provided with an aperture at its outer end. The loop is shaped to surround an inverted footwear piece and suspend it therein and the hangers which pass over the toe piece of the footwear are connected together by an S-shaped hook, one portion of which may be passed over a suitable support, such as a clothesline, curtain rod, or other projection. When the loop is formed of wire which surrounds the foot piece, the hangers are formed of pieces of wire, each having a hook at its inner end and at its outer end. The inner portions of the hangers pass over the inverted toe end portion of the foot piece and the hooks on the outer portions of the wire hangers are arranged to pass over the support to hold the loop and the shoe or boot pieces in a suspended state. To prevent movement of the wire strips upon the loop, the loop is crimped at the opposite sides of the hooks on the inner wire pieces or hangers.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert J. Lane I 4710 Longwood Ave.,Penna, Ohio 44134 [21] Appl. No. 797,854 [22) Filed Feb. 10, 1969 [45]Patented July 27, 1971 [54] APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING WET FOOTWEAR 7Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 211/38 [51] Int. Cl A471 7/08 [50] FieldotSearch 211/38,37, 34

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 384,334 6/1888 Reichenbach211/34 2,294,607 9/ 1942 Peck 21 1/34 2,383,651 8/1945 Hill 211/34 X2,412,847 12/1946 Tilburg.. 211/35 2,787,379 4/1957 Fritz 211/382,703,651 3/1955 Brocklehurst.... 21 1/34 2,969,151 1/1961 Krstulovich211/34 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney.lohn MahoneyABSTRACT: Apparatus for suspending wet footwear from a support, such asa clothesline, curtain rod, wall peg, or other projection including aflexible loop which may be formed of a plastic material, such aspolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon, or it maybe formed of wire.1f the loop is formed of a plastic material, a plurality of spacedstraps or hangers are formed with their inner ends integral with theloop and each is provided with an aperture at its outer end. The loop isshaped to surround an inverted footwear piece and suspend it therein andthe hangers which pass over the toe piece of the footwear are connectedtogether by an S-shaped hook, one portion of which may be passed over asuitable support, such as a clothesline, curtain rod, or otherprojection. When the loop is formed of wire which surrounds the footpiece, the hangers are fonned of pieces of wire, each having a hook atits inner end and at its outer end. The inner portions of the hangerspass over the inverted toe end portion of the foot piece and the hookson the outer portions of the wire hangers are arranged to pass over thesupport to hold the loop and the shoe or boot pieces in a suspendedstate. To prevent movement of the wire strips upon the loop, the loop iscrimped at the opposite sides of the hooks on the inner wire pieces orhangers.

PATENTEB JUL27 I97! SHEET 1 UP 2 INVENTOR. OB ER T J. LAN E PATENTEUJUL27 Ian sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. LANE APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING WET FOOTWEAR The presentinvention relates to apparatus for suspending wet footwear, such asshoes, boots, overshoes, or galoshes in such a manner that they may bequickly dried.

In footwear that becomes wet in service, such as boots, shoes,overshoes, or galoshes, it is customary to leave them in the kitchen,bathroom, or basement. During continuous wet weather in which thestreets and sidewalks are covered with snow for substantial period oftime, footwear, such as shoes, boots, rubbers, or galoshes become wetand if it is necessary to wear them again before they have beenthoroughly dried, colds may result and this is particularly true offootwear worn by children.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus by meansof which pieces of footwear may be suspended in such a manner that thefootwear may be quickly dried.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus for suspendingfootwear, such as boots, shoes, rubbers, or galoshes, in such a mannerthat they will not only dry quickly but any water that may be present inthe interior of the footwear will drain therefrom during the dryingprocess.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus for suspending pieces of footwear,such as a boot, an overshoe, a rubber, or a galosh so that it will dryin a short period of time;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on a plane passingthrough the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view showing the use of my improved apparatus forsuspending footwear, such as a boot or overshoe;

FIG. 4 is a modified form of my improved apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is an elevationalview of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 forsuspending footwear as exemplified by a boot.

My improved apparatus may be molded or constructed of any suitablematerial, such as plastic or metal. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, theapparatus is formed of a plastic material that is slightly flexible,such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon and consists of aloop I which is essentially in the shape of the bottom portion of apiece of footwear, such as a boot or a galosh, or it may be in the formof the base of a shoe. For purposes of illustration, a boot 2 is shownand the loop is shaped to engage the boot at a short distance below itssole and heel. Although the loop is flexible and will bend to a limitedextent, to facilitate its stiffness, it is preferably provided with arib 3 and for suspending the boot, it is inverted so that any watertherein may run out. As shown in FIG. 3, the loop extends around theboot or shoe at a short distance below the face of the sole and heel andto hold the boot or shoe in a suspended position, a plurality of stripsor straps are provided which may be formed of a plastic material, suchas polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon Because the strips arepreferably more flexible than the loop, if desired the rib 3 on thestrips may be omitted. As shown, one of the strips 4 is arranged at thetoe end of the loop in a position to engage the toe of the footwear andstrips 5 and 6 are arranged to extend across the sole of the footwear ata point approximately midway between the toe end and the rear end of theheel. As shown, each of the strips or straps is provided with anenlarged tab, each designated by the numeral 7 and each tab has an eyeor aperture therein which is designated by the numeral 8. It will ofcourse be understood that the size of the loop may be varied to tightlyengage different sizes of footwear.

In fastening the footwear to a suitable support, such as a clothesline,a shower curtain, a rod, wall peg, over the back of a chair, or anyother convenient projection, the straps or hangers 4, 5, and 6 are movedupwardly from the position shown in FIG 1 to a position in which a hook,such as one end of a S- shaped hook 8A may be passed through theapertures in the outer ends of the hangers and the other portion of theS-hook may be applied over one of the supports previously mentioned,such as a curtain rod which has been designated by the letter A. Becausethe shoe, boot, or galosh, is inverted in its suspended position, anywater therein will drain out and the footwear will soon become dry sothat it may be used in a short period of time after being supported inplace. While my improved apparatus is preferably formed of a plasticmaterial, this is not essential because it may be formed of otherflexible material, such as wire, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the loop is formed of flexible wire, the ends ofwhich are connected together as indicated by the numeral 10. The loop 9is of such size and is so shaped that it will fit around the heel andtoe of the footwear indicated by the numeral 2 as shown in FIG. 5 and isprovided with means for suspending the loop, together with the footweararranged therein. For this purpose, three hangers l1, l2, and 13 areprovided, hanger 11 being arranged adjacent the toe of the boot orovcrshoe and hangers I2 and 13 being arranged on opposite sides of theboot or overshoe. While the hangers may be secured to the loop in anyconvenient manner, as shown, each hanger is provided with a hook 14which may be turned around the loop at the desired points. For instance,hanger 11 may be turned at its inner portion around the loop 9 at thatend which is arranged to support the toe portion of the boot or shoe,and the hangers l2 and 13 are arranged to extend over the sides of thetoe portion of the boot and in this connection, it may be stated that asshown hanger 13 is arranged somewhat closer to the portion of the loop 9that is arranged to support the heel than the hanger 12. To hold thehangers in the desired place on the loop, the wire may be crimped on theopposite sides of each hanger, as indicated by the letters C. Thecrimping may be performed with a suitable tool, such as pliers or ifdesired, a thin wire may be wound snugly around the loop on each side ofthe inner hooked portion of each hanger.

In suspending the fastener, the shoe, boot, overshoe, or galosh, may beinverted as shown in FIG. 5 with a portion of the loop 9 around the heeland the hangers ll, 12, and 13 arranged to engage the toe portion of thefootwear. As shown, the outer ends of the hangers are provided withhooks 15 which are arranged to engage a suitable support, such as aclothesline or a curtain rod which is designated in FIG. 5 by the letterB.

It will of course be understood that my improved apparatus is not onlyuseful in facilitating the drying of the footwear so that it may be usedwhen needed but it also aids in teaching children to hang their wetfootwear in a neat manner on suitable supports. The support may be ofany suitable type. For instance, in the use of the apparatus by campersor service men, the fasteners may be secured to a tree limb or a forkedstake driven into the ground.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for suspending a piece of wet footwear in an invertedposition including a flexible member in the form of a continuous loopwhich is shaped to provide a portion which engages the piece of footwearbelow its heel portion and other portions which engage the piece offootwear below its sole including its toe portion to maintain the pieceof footwear in an inverted position to thereby hasten the dryingthereof, and a plurality of spaced hangers, the inner portion of each ofwhich is connected to the loop and the outer portion of each of which isshaped to engage a support.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the loop and each hanger arecomposed of a flexible plastic material and in which the loop and eachof the hangers have a rib extending outwardly from its central portionto increase the rigidity of the plastic material.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which three hangers are provided,one of which extends from the toe-shaped portion of said loop and theother two of which extend from the oppositely disposed sides of thetoe-shaped portion.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which three hangers are provided,one of which has an inner portion formed integral with the toe-shapedportion of said loop and an outer portion having an aperture therein andthe other two hangers each having inner portions formed integral withthe opposite sides, respectively, of the loop and each having an outeraperture therein, and means having a portion extending through theapertures in said hangers and a second portion extending around asupport for suspending the loop and the piece of footwear supportedtherein.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the flexible loop is in theform of a wire having its end portions connected together to form acontinuous loop and the means associated with the loop for suspendingsaid loop and the piece of footwear supported therein are in the form ofhangers, one of which is arranged at the toe-shaped end of said loop andthe other two of which are arranged on the opposite sides, respectively,of the loop, and each of said hangers having an inner end connected tothe loop and an outer end having a hook thereon, each of which outerhooks are shaped to be applied to a support for suspending the footpiece in place.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which means are provided forlimiting the movement of the inner portion of each of the hangers uponthe loop.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which means formed integral withthe loop are provided on the opposite sides of the inner hooks of thehanger for limiting the movement of the inner portion of the hangersupon the loop.

1. Apparatus for suspending a piece of wet footwear in an invertedposition including a flexible member in the form of a continuous loopwhich is shaped to provide a portion which engages the piece of footwearbelow its heel portion and other portions which engage the piece offootwear below its sole including its toe portion to maintain the pieceof footwear in an inverted position to thereby hasten the dryingthereof, and a plurality of spaced hangers, the inner portion of each ofwhich is connected to the loop and the outer portion of each of which isshaped to engage a support.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in whichthe loop and each hanger are composed of a flexible plastic material andin which the loop and each of the hangers have a rib extending outwardlyfrom its central portion to increase the rigidity of the plasticmaterial.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which three hangers areprovided, one of which extends from the toe-shaped portion of said loopand the other two of which extend from the oppositely disposed sides ofthe toe-shaped portion.
 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in whichthree hangers are provided, one of which has an inner portion formedintegral with the toe-shaped portion of said loop and an outer portionhaving an aperture therein and the other two hangers each having innerportions formed integral with the opposite sides, respectively, of theloop and each having an outer aperture therein, and means having aportion extending through the apertures in said hangers and a secondportion extending around a support for suspending the loop and the pieceof footwear supported therein.
 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 inwhich the flexible loop is in the form of a wire having its end portionsconnected together to form a continuous loop and the means associatedwith the loop for suspending said loop and the piece of footwearsupported therein are in the form of hangers, one of which is arrangedat the toe-shaped end of said loop and the other two of which arearranged on the opposite sides, respectively, of the loop, and each ofsaid hangers having an inner end connected to the loop and an outer endhaving a hook thereon, each of which outer hooks are shaped to beapplied to a support for suspending the foot piece in place. 6.Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which means are provided for limitingthe movement of the inner portion of each of the hangers upon the loop.7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which means formed integral withthe loop are provided on the opposite sides of the inner hooks of thehanger for limiting the movement of the inner portion of the hangersupon the loop.